Chicken tikka masala has a most fascinating back story. A recent article in Saveur points out, chicken tikka masala may actually originated in the U.K. A Scottish parliament minister maintains that the dish comes from Glasgow, where, according to him, in the nineteen-seventies, a customer complained about the dryness of his chicken tikka at a local restaurant, and the chef responded by whipping up the now-popular sauce. According to Wikipedia, there is no standard recipe for chicken tikka masala; a survey found that of 48 different recipes, the only common ingredient was chicken tikka. So here is my version adapted from Allrecipes.com
I am cooking this meal for children ages 3 to 11 years old so some ingredients are omitted to cater their palates.
Yield 4 servings
Ingredients
Marinade
- 1 cup yogurt
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper (optional)
- 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
- 4 teaspoons salt, or to taste
- 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
- 4 long skewers and aluminum foil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped (optional)
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin (optional)
- 2 teaspoons sweet paprika
- 3 teaspoons salt, or to taste
- 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup frozen peas
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Directions
- In a large bowl, combine yogurt, lemon juice, cumin, cinnamon, black pepper, ginger, and salt. Stir in chicken, cover, and refrigerate for 2 hour or overnight
- Preheat a grill for high heat or use the broiler. Lightly oil the grill grate. Thread chicken onto skewers, and discard marinade. Grill until juices run clear, about 5 minutes on each side. If using broiler, line a baking or broiling sheet with aluminum foil. Place the skewers in a row, broil for 4-5 minutes per side checking to make sure chicken has cooked through.
- Melt butter in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Saute garlic for 1 minute, season with sweet paprika and salt. Stir in tomato sauce and cream add frozen peas. Simmer on low heat until sauce thickens, about 20 minutes. Add grilled/broiled chicken, and simmer for 10 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter, and garnish with fresh cilantro.
